Page 74 of Papers Don't Lie

“Don’t bother, Mom. It’s fine,” I tell her. “I assume you’re here because it’s time?” I ask.

When we planned the wedding, we decided the first moment we’d see each other would only be in the presence of our families. It’s something unorthodox that not many people do, but we thought it was the best decision for us.

She nods, taking a quick look at her polished nails. “Yes, Callum is announcing Kai at this moment.”

My limbs tremble, and I stretch my hands forward, shaking them a few times in an attempt to recollect myself. This is really happening. I shouldn’t be this emotional, but I can’t stop myself.

I’ve married a man who I actually care about and who puts me above anything else. My reality can’t even be compared to what I dreamed about. This is so much better.

“Are you ready?” Raven asks, lifting a blindfold, and I glance at my mom, who’s glancing suspiciously at me. I don’t have time to nod or ask her what that was about because my vision turns black. “You are. Now let’s go.”

I hear someone clapping their hands, followed by a small squeak. “I can’t wait to see my brother’s face,” Lacey says, and we all laugh.

FORTY

KAI

I grumble under my breath as Tristan pushes me forward, clearly enjoying this moment of me being completely blindfolded.

“What did you say? I didn’t hear you.” He laughs, and simply because he loves to piss me off, even on my wedding day, I lift my foot and hit him. I don’t know how great I hit, but I know I touched something.

“Fuck," he groans, and I can practically hear the way the blood lifts to his head. “You motherfucker.”

“Man, hitting him in the balls is a low move.” I hear Kiaran in the back. “It’s only fair if he returns it."

“Fuck off," I say.

“Boys.” My father finally intervenes. “Stop joking around. The girls should be here any second."

Right. Esmeray’s big family and her scumbag of a father.

I completely forget any other woman exists now that I’m waiting for my wife. For some reason, not talking to her today made me a lot more nervous than knowing I’m going to marry her.

Considering what she found out, I doubt she’s in any good mood, even though I tried to explain that she has no fault inthis. If we saw each other today, we could’ve talked this out, and maybe then I wouldn’t be worried about her being sad on her wedding day.

Esmeray cares about this wedding. I saw it in the way her eyes were glistening when she talked about it or in the way she thought about the decorations and the place before switching her mind to completely different things. She couldn’t decide, and that only proves that she never had a word in anything, and now that she has it, she doesn’t know what to do with it.

She’s fine, I tell myself.

If Esmeray has showed me something in our time together, it's that she’s a strong woman, and if she wants this day to be a success, it will be. She won’t let anything ruin it.

“I’m dizzy.” I hear a certain laugh approaching, and my skin covers in goosebumps. Maybe if I weren't wearing a blindfold, I wouldn’t notice the effect she has on me.

“I’ll take this down," I say, and I only hear a "no" before I blink to adjust my eyes to the sudden light.

My gaze settles on Esmeray, and the people around her disappear as I focus on her body hugged by the sexiest dress I have ever seen. The material is see-through, only covered by floral patches to hide any places that’d reveal too much. Still, her hips and the space between her breasts are naked.

I’m heavily considering whether covering her with my coat would be a better option rather than letting her walk in front of a mass of people looking like that.

My feet carry me towards her, and her sisters set her free. Esmeray stops, her hand going in front of her. “Kai?”

I quicken my pace and take her warm palms before lifting one and kissing the top of it. Ray stills at my touch, her breath getting caught in her throat.

With a smile on my face I can’t control, I lean down to her ear, my hands going on either side of her to remove the material around her eyes. “You look spectacular.”

As soon as the blindfold drops to our feet, her eyes meet mine, and a small breath falls past her lips. She swallows and reaches to me, one of her hands curling on my coat.

“I received your gift…” she murmurs while my eyes wander from her brown curls to her beautiful neck. “Kai, that was so thoughtful of you," Esmeray says, lifting one hand to caress my cheek. “Thank you."

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